One of the filmmakers is Nuri Majidah, a direct descendant of Alexander and Charity Freeman, free people of color who began acquiring land in the southern part of the county in the mid-nineteenth century. This land would later become known as ‘Seabreeze’. Their son, Robert Bruce Freeman, amassed even more land, but the family’s holdings later began to diminish.
Related: A conversation with Freeman family descendants Christopher Eaton and Dorian Cromartie (The Newsroom)
“One of the goals of the documentary is definitely to just shed more light on Black land loss, especially Black land that was established at this point; it was right after slavery, and that was contributed to during Reconstruction, during the Jim Crow era, and because that was such a hard time for our people. Honoring the people who contributed to this community is one of the goals as well because doing all of that during segregation, that's powerful,” Majidah said.
"Somebody should do a feature-length story on Seabreeze; it deserves it more than it deserves it. So that is the reason why I wanted to do it," she said.
The Freemans passed down ownership of the land, which created a thriving Black community with oceanfront properties, dance halls, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts. But over time, the family lost some properties because of complications with heirs property and eminent domain.
Working with Majidah is filmmaker and producer Anna Ray, who grew up in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
“One of the first things that we both got really interested in was the concept of land ownership and land retention in Black families, and it was something that was important to me because when I was younger, my family had land closer to Sanford that we had inherited from our first ancestor post slavery, and we had a really hard time keeping it,” Ray said.
Ray added that, unfortunately, her family had to sell, which was hard given the family memories tied to the land.
Majidah has fond memories of Seabreeze, riding bikes and spending time with her family.
“So I'm from Wilmington, inner city area of Wilmington, but going to Seabreeze was just down the road," she said. "Like I'm just gonna go to the water. I'm gonna go see my aunts, or I'm gonna go see my cousins, or my grandfather. So I was always there during the summer, even just year-round at my grandfather's house, a very close, tight-knit family.”
Ray said making this documentary is about connecting the land with the community.
“It's one thing to tell people, ‘Oh, we're making this documentary about this piece of land or like this stretch of land.’ It's another thing for people to go out there to support that and then actually feel the wind, feel the actual sea breeze at Seabreeze, to put their feet in the sand on those shores, like to be in community with those people and create those memories,” Ray said.
The filmmakers worry that, over the decades, that connection is in danger of being lost.
“Seabreeze looks very different from what it did when I was little, and even that is a little disheartening because I am still so young, but there are still, there's still our beach plot that's still there. My grandfather's house is still there, and a lot of my family members still do live there. However, a lot of that land that was there that was owned by my family is not owned by my family anymore,” Majidah said.
The filmmakers said they've already completed two shooting dates, and next month they hope to shoot more photography with some of Seabreeze's elders. They still have fundraising left to do, and they hope to complete the film in the next year or two.
“I think another additional goal is to also inspire the younger generation. I feel like there is a lot of apathy right now, and a lot of bitterness and hopelessness within our community as well as the younger generations. We want to try to have this be a way to show them that anything is truly possible,” Majidah said.
Majidah said the large extended Freeman family is still working together to preserve its history.
“They are still doing cemetery cleanups. The churches are still active. They're still doing family reunions. The family historians are still very active. They have their own Facebook pages. They have group chats where they share different documents and deeds, so you know, it’s us doing this,” she said.
For Majidah and Ray, it’s about connecting the strife and the joy of this community — and keeping the story of Seabreeze alive and well.
“What are the problems that were posed on our ancestors, and how does my generation have a solution for those problems? How do we feel about it? How do we take this and do we continue it on as a legacy?” Majidah said.
Resources
Seabreeze: A Legacy Adobe Express Page
Nuri Majidah and Anna Ray are planning on tabling at WilmingtonNColor’s event: the 1898 Family Reunion & Healing Festival on November 7 from 1-5 p.m. at Chowtown, in Wilmington
